Guard-finger.



W. GATERMAN.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

lnventoz WILLIAM GATERMAN, OF MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN.

- Gillian-FINGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

Application filed September 11, 1909. Serial No. 517,222.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GATERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manitowoc, county of Manitowoc, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guard-Fingers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in guard fingers for mowers and harvesters.

The object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive form of construction in which each of the guard fingers will be provided with a plurality of lifting flanges which, without adding materially to the weight of the guard, will give substantially the same lifting effect that twice the num# ber of ordinary guards would have for the same material. Also to increase the resisting power of the guards by providing a loose reinforcing connection which will permit vibration but no independent movement sufficient to break the individual finger shanks or loosen their connection with the finger bar.

1n the following description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a finger bar and a plurality of my improved guard fingers secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the fingers.

Like parts arefidentied by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

A is a finger bar of a reaper or mowing machine. The guard ngers are secured thereto in the usual manner and each guard finger is provided with a shank portion B, and a point C of ordinary form but with the rearwardly extending arm D provided with two raised flanges E and F which converge forwardly and taper downwardly, terminating in the point substantially midway between its extremity and the knife rest Gr. These fianges are at the sides of each finger with a depression H between them, the edges of the fianges being adapted to break or cut vines or other material odering too great resistance for the nger and also mak ing a lighter and neater structure than would result if the space between the flanges were a solid body of metal. It will be observed that the flanges E and F are connected by a web which forms the bottom of the depression H. This web not only strengthens the fianges but also serves to prevent pods or other material from dropping between the flanges into contact with the sickle.

The sides of each finger substantially un derneath the rear portion of the knife rest- Gr, are provided with arms J which have ends in a vertical plane and abutting those of the arms of adjacent guard fingers. The ends of these arms are provided with pin receiving sockets K and pins L are loosely fitted, one into the registering sockets of each pair of abutting arms J whereby said arms are connected in a manner which permits vibration, with but little independentfingery movement, each finger being thus made to reinforce the others against displacing strain in any direction. By using these pins L, the necessity of fitting interlocking castings is avoided, for the pins need not be closely fitted and the pin receiving sockets may be formed with sufficient accuracy in the casting operation. The fingers are thus not only reinforced, but the lifting strains are reduced by the peculiar construction of the flanges and by their position of divergence rearwardly, whereby they tend to separate tangled vines or other material.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. A guard finger for mowers and harvesters provided with a knife rest and having member extending rearwardly and overhanging the knife rest, said member comprising a base web having a plurality of upwardly extending fianges, one along each side margin and increasing in height rearwardly, whereby vines may be lifted by the flanges and supported by the fianges and web with the pods out of contact with a knife on said knife rest.

2. The combination with a mower or harvester finger bar, of a series of forwardly projecting guard ngers secured thereto and having laterally extending arms provided with pin receiving sockets in their projecting ends, said arms abutting the corresponding arms of the adjacent guard fingers,

pins seated in the socket strains in any direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature s in the abutting in the presence of two Witnesses.

/VILLIAM GATERMAN. /Vtnesses LEVERETT C. WHEELER, l. D. BREMER.

Copies of thiszpatent maybe obtainedrfer've '-centsneachhby addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

